Just for the heck of it, I will play devils advocate.
For the record I went to my first Nascar race last fall so I have no historical reference to compare with. I wasn’t even a Nascar fan until a few years ago.
We bought a pit pass for $50. What other sport can you walk onto the court/field and take pictures. We gave Jeff Gordon a high five when drivers went to their meeting. We brought in a cooler of beer which saved a us a bunch from buying at the concession stands. We wrote a personal note on the wall in front of our favorite drivers pit box. No other major sport offers that kind of experience. Also, the new playoff format offered a lot of drama and heated tempers. It was a very interesting chase.
Again, I can’t comment on what life long fans have experienced in the past, however Nascar is still more patriotic, more reverant (what kind of benediction do you get at an NBA game) and more fan friendly than any major sport out there. My $.02